Adelaide Newsbyte July 4
1:01

SALA, the visual arts festival dedicated to the state’s living artists, features works by more than 4627 painters, sculptors, crafts practitioners, digital creatives and moving image-makers in some 547 exhibitions and events throughout the city and regional areas.

As part of this year’s event, two new artist-in-residency programs will take place at the Adelaide Festival Centre and the new SAHMRI (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) building on North Tce.

This year’s full SALA program is included free in The Advertiser today.

PHILIP GLASS TRILOGY

August 5 to 23, Her Majesty’s Theatre

Between 2002 and 2007, State Opera — in conjunction with choreographer Leigh Warren and the Adelaide Vocal Project — staged each part of US composer Philip Glass’s trilogy of contemporary operas based on historical figures, to great acclaim.

Now, in an undertaking to rival Wagner’s Ring, it will present the complete trilogy in three cycles over three weeks.

Akhnaten (performed each Tuesday) follows the controversial ancient Egyptian pharaoh and religious reformer; Einstein on the Beach (on Thursdays) explores the famous scientist’s theories in rhythm and movement; and Satyagraha (on Saturdays) is inspired by the life of the celebrated Indian peacemaker Mahatma Gandhi.

A major program of events and activities surrounds the Art Gallery’s dual retrospectives of two relatively unsung South Australian artists: The World of Mortimer Menpes: Painter, Etcher, Raconteur and Dorrit Black: Unseen Forces. Free weekly Sketch Club sessions are led by Adelaide artists, with all materials supplied, each Saturday from 2-4pm.

Tomorrow there also are Dance With Dorrit collage workshops as part of START and Gallery Shop storytelling from 11am to 3pm, followed on Tuesday by a 12.30pm lunchtime talk on modernist design in Black’s work by curator of decorative arts Robert Reason.

The program continues each week with guest lectures, painting workshops, music and dance performances.

Visit artgallery.sa.gov.au for full details

THEATRE FOR ALL

July to August, various venues

If winter is the season to stay indoors, why not make the most of it at the theatre?

The next two months offer an outstanding array of local and international touring productions, from State Theatre’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest (Dunstan Playhouse, July 25 to August 16) to Shadowland (Her Majesty’s, July 9-13), a groundbreaking fusion of puppetry, silhouettes and optical illusion by US dance troupe Pilobolus.

Musical theatre ranges from the Adelaide premiere of The Addams Family (Arts Theatre until July 12 and Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth, July 17-26) to the ever-popular Grease, which returns to the Festival Theatre from August 3-31.

Grease returns to the Festival TheatreSource: News Corp Australia

British actor David Suchet, best known as TV’s Poirot, stars in Vatican conspiracy thriller The Last Confession (Her Majesty’s, August 27-31) and kids will love The 13-Storey Treehouse (Dunstan Playhouse, until Monday), adapted from the popular book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton.

Dance audiences also are spoiled for choice with the Australian Ballet’s new production of Cinderella (Festival Theatre, until July 10), Australian Dance Theatre’s 3D extravaganza Multiverse (Space Theatre, July 9-12), Daniel Jaber’s Reassessment — A Double Bill (Space Theatre, August 6-9) and Meryl Tankard’s new work The Oracle (Dunstan Playhouse, August 20-23).

David Suchet in The Last Confession.Source: Supplied

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Mamma Carmela’s Winter Wonderland

Until July 27

An ice rink by the beach? Only in Australia! Rug up and embrace the season with ice skating sessions at this 150sq m ice rink at Moseley Square in Glenelg. It’s undercover, so don’t be put off by those rainy days. It’s open daily from 10am-8pm and 1.5 hour skating sessions are on at 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. Cost for children aged two to 15 is $5 and adults are $10.

Bring the family to these gardening sessions around Holdfast Bay, running over July and August. Anyone can come along and plant local native plants alongside environmental volunteers, while learning more about the local environment along the way.

There’s also a free barbecue at the end of the session. The next location is Seacliff to Brighton Dunes, on Sunday, July 6, tomorrow from 10am-noon (meet at the car park south of the roundabout at the corner of Wheatland St and the Esplanade, Seacliff). 10am-noon. Upcoming sessions are at Tjilbruke Springs (August 3) and the Minda Dunes (August 14). Registration isn’t required and gloves are supplied. Details: 8229 9915.

SASMEE Park train rides

Hop on these ride-on model steam trains at Millswood, which run on the first Sunday and third Saturday of the month from 2pm-4.30pm. It costs $5 and there are two railways to ride on through tunnels and over bridges.

There’s also a boat pond and a steam house with operating engines where visitors can ask to sound the whistle. Southerners can check out the MV Rail in Morphett Vale, which runs on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

All regions of the city have plenty of activities going on at the local libraries. The best part is most of these events are free. The City library runs a Lego building club every Wednesday at 5pm and Sunday at 2pm, while storytime sessions for families run regularly in the north, south, east and west. Visit your local council website for details. And mark August 22 in the diary for the Salisbury Writers Festival, where authors such as John Marsden and Vikki Wakefield will be among the 16 presenters holding presentations and workshops over the 10 day event.

Visit salisbury.sa.gov.au

Circus Train comes to the Port

July 12-20

Festival fever hits the National Railway Museum in July when the circus train comes to the Port. As well as the Circus Train small steam engine, Peronne big steam engine and Redhen railcars, there will also be roving magicians and street performers, a jumping castle and face painting. Museum entry ranges from $6-$19 but includes three train ride tickets. Roving entertainment is free. It’s on Saturday July 12, 9.30am-4.30pm, until July 20. Visit natrailmuseum.org.au

FOOD AND WINE

THE WINE CAPITAL ON HOLLAND

Can’t decide on which South Australian wine region to visit? Let them all come to you. On July 12 around 50 winemakers from across the state will showcase more than 200 wines in the heart of the city.

Culinary hotspot Market Shed on Holland will host the Saturday afternoon event which has been officially christened “The Wine Capital on Holland” and will see the space’s regular traders serve up organic food to complement the wine offerings. Entry is $5 and includes a branded glass and five tasting tokens.

It’s not our biggest wine region but that doesn’t mean great things aren’t coming out of Langhorne Creek.

Less than an hour’s drive south-east of Adelaide, on August 9 and 10, this boutique region will host its Cellar Treasures weekend where back vintages and museum wines will be available to taste and purchase at various cellar doors.

Visit langhornecreek.com for more information.

Or if you can’t wait until then, pencil July 26-27 in your diary for the Adelaide Hills’ annual Winter Reds Weekend — more than 40 wineries staging special events.

In case you haven’t noticed, the advent of Adelaide’s small bar licence has given rise to quite a few new watering holes in the past couple of years and usually they’re packed to the rafters given their cosy compact size.

But in winter when most people are at home hibernating you can have much more free rein to explore and luxuriate in these hip spaces so why not indulge in a DIY small bar crawl? The newest kid on the block is Peel St’s Chihuahua with plenty where the tequila flows and a Mexican theme is the order of the day.

Other standouts include Clever Little Tailor, also on Peel St, and Frome St’s Howling Owl.

BAROSSA GOURMET WEEKEND

The Clare Valley has done it for 2014, the Sea & Vines in McLaren Vale has been and gone and come mid-August it will be the Barossa wine region’s turn.

From August 15-17 scores of wineries across the Barossa will throw open their doors to celebrate its annual gourmet weekend by putting on live music, food and wine experiences and tasting masterclasses. But be sure to plan ahead.

Just because the mercury heads south, that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and about and indulge your culinary senses. Winter weather begs for a red wine and a hearty meal and plenty of establishments across Adelaide have come to the party with winter warming deals, complimentary lap rugs, open fires and heaters in outdoor areas.

But if you really want to indulge in a cold weather treat, head up the hill to Hahndorf’s Udder Delights Cheese Cellar for a retro fondue for two, a time-honoured European tradition they’ve introduced to herald winter.

MUSIC

LORDE

July 8, Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre

Unless you’ve been camped out on a desert island with a volleyball named Wilson, you’ll be across New Zealand singer Lorde who has taken the world by storm.

Lorde will perform on July 8.Source: Getty Images

Having performed in Adelaide earlier this year as part of the annual Laneway Festival, with each day that passes, this 17-year-old wunderkind gains even more success. Her minimal yet enchanting music has struck a chord with listeners of all ages across the globe — coming to a head in fine form when she helped front iconic rock band Nirvana at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Get in quick.

ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL

July 17 to 20, Adelaide Festival Centre

Spanning the full gamut of guitar styles, from classical acoustic to electric rock, jazz-related instruments and everything in-between, organisers have shifted this event from later in the year to meet demand for more winter programming.

One of the most prolific songwriters of all time will take centre stage in August, as Bob Dylan and his band stroll through the songwriting master’s extensive catalogue.

Although the past couple of performances in Adelaide by Dylan have been questionable, with some songs barely recognisable in his new interpretations and less than slick vocal performances, it won’t stop legions of fans from heading along to merely be in the presence of a living legend.

KANYE WEST

September 7, Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Another high-profile act who was forced to cancel his Australian tour has also rescheduled for later this year. Love him or hate him, Kanye West has had a profound impact on modern music and his theatrical and often divisive live show is not to be missed.

He says he’s on a mission from God — so let’s hope there’s some divine inspiration when he takes over the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

September 22-23, Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Just shy of winter but this will undoubtedly be some of the hottest nights at Adelaide’s Entertainment Centre.

One of modern pop’s biggest names returns to Adelaide for the first time in seven years over two huge nights.

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